Support apparatus



March 4, 1969 w. SANDAGER 3,430,876

SUPPORT APPARATUS Filed Sept. 25, 1967 z I I so 5 I w 26 2 i? 24 I 3o 1 1 28 "i 22 a I v i 1 x a I I I 28 t r 30 I I 34 v 1 I I a s4 v z 22 r A 30 I2 FIG F1 U l A; I I i H q 1g 1 I ,H

INVENTOR.

William Sondoger WAY ATTORNEYS United States Patent OfiFice 3,430,876 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 3,430,876 SUPPORT APPARATUS William Santlager, North Dighton, Mass., assignor to Leesona Corporation, Warwick, R.I., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 25, 1967, Ser. No. 670,199 US. Cl. 242-46.4 Int. Cl. B65h 75/30, 79/00; D01h 3/16 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE on the spindle.

The invention herein relates generally to textile niachinery and in particular to supporting a yarn package on a take-up spindle.

In the following specification, the term yarn denotes all types of strand material, either textile or otherwise, and the term package denotes the product of a winding or twisting machine, whatever its form.

In winding operations, it is desirable to mount the core of a take-up package on a supporting spindle so that it is accurately located with reference to a predetermined axis. This is to assure that yarn being wound onto the package is evenly distributed on the package surface for ease of removal of the yarn during redraw operations, for dyeing, and for other subsequent operations. It is also desirable to be able to readily and securely mount a core of a takeup package on a spindle for winding and then to remove the package from the spindle after the package has been wound.

Various conventional constructions have been employed to achieve these purposes, but generally these have not been satisfactory because they were costly, complicated, or did not successively align the axis of the package core with the spindle axis. For example, some known constructions employed blind or fitted holes directed radially at spaced circumferential locations around a spindle. Detents for engaging the inner surface of a package core telescopically received on the spindle were mounted in these holes and each detent was urged outwardly by a spring. With individual springs used for each detent it was difficult to achieve the alignment of a package core desired because of variations of spring characteristics from one spring to another.

According to the present invention, it is contemplated that opposed detent elements be received in a transverse bore extending through a spindle and that they be urged outwardly in opposite directions by a single spring within the bore. In this way, the force of the spring is identical on the opposed detents and because the transverse forces on the package core are therefore equal, the core is accurately aligned on the spindle. I

It is a primary object of the invention to provide new and improved apparatus for supporting a core. A related object is provision of such apparatus for releasably mounting the core. Another related object is provision of such apparatus for readily aligning the axis of the core with the axis of a spindle mounting core.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved support structure for releasably mounting and accurately aligning a yarn package core on a spindle and including a transverse bore extending radially through the spindle and a single compression spring in the bore urging opposed detents outwardly in opposite directions against the inner surface of the core.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention are presented in the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, certain parts being cut away and in section for purposes of clarity; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section view taken substantially along the lines 22 of FIG. 1.

Refer now to the drawings and initially to FIG. 1 which illustrates a spindle 10 suitably mounted for rotation about a vertical axis. The spindle 10 has an elongated upper portion 12 and, in the lower regions, a whorl 14 for frictionally engaging a drive belt 16.

Telescopically mounted on the spindle 10 is a yarn receiving core 18. The lower end of the core rests upon a substantially disc-shaped supporting surface 20 of the spindle intermediate the upper portion 12 and the whorl 14. A plurality of mounting devices 22 are positioned at axially spaced locations along the upper portion 12 of the spindle 10 to engage the inner peripheral surface of the yarn receiving core 18. The mounting devices 22 serve to releasably grip the core and hold it in place on the spindle 10 and simultaneously to locate the core 18 on the spindle 10 so that the axis of the core is accurately aligned with the axis of the spindle.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a transverse bore 24 extends through the spindle 10 and is generally concentric with a diameter of a substantially horizontal section taken through the upper portion 12. Snugly received within the bore '24 is a cylindrical retainer 26 whose opposite ends are turned inwardly to form annular flanges 28. The retainer 26 is preferably of a length such that it extends substantially through the bore 24 with the annular flanges 28 terminating proximate the outer peripheral surface of the spindle 10.

A pair of generally hemispherical-shaped, oppositely directed detents 30 are disposed within the cylindrical retainer 26 and are urged outwardly in opposite directions by means of a compression spring 32 in the retainer 26 and received between the detents 30. At its base, each detent 30 is formed with a generally circumferential rim 34 which is engageable with its adjacent annular flange 28 to serve as a stop for preventing further outward movement of the detent relative to the cylindrical retainer 26. The outer surfaces of the detents 30 may be somewhat oval or flattened so that they more readily and fully engage the inner peripheral surface of the yarn receiving core 18.

In the released condition, each detent 30 assumes the position indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 2, under the bias of the spring 32. However, when the yarn receiving core 18 is telescopically received on the spindle 10 its inner surface engages the detents 30 and urges them radially inwardly of the cylindrical retainer 26 until they assume the gripping position indicated by solid lines in FIG. 2. The detents 30 accurately align the core 19 relative to the spindle because the force applied to each of the opposed detents 30 by the spring 32 is identical. To further assure the alignment of the core 18 with the spindle 10, it is desirable to provide the spindle 10 with mounting devices 22 in a plurality of non-parallel axially spaced bores 24. Although it is preferred that the bores 24 lie in parallel planes, their axes may differ in azimuth by for example, as shown in FIG. 1 or assume any other relationship so as to result in an accurate alignment of the core 18 on the spindle 10.

While a specific form of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A support for the core of a yarn package, comprising a spindle for receiving the core theron, said spindle having a transverse bore extending therethrough, and means for releasably holding the core on the spindle in axial alignment therewith and including a hollow cylinder telescoped in said bore and having opposite open ends and inwardly extending annular flanges at said ends, a pair of detents telescopically received in said cylinder, one at each of said ends of said cylinder, and each detent having an outwardly extending annular rim engageable with the adjacent one of said flanges to limit outward movement of the detents, and resilient means urging said detents outwardly of said bore with equal and opposite forces for holding engagement of the detents with the inner surface of the core and accurate alignment of the core with the spindle.

2. The support set forth in claim 1 wherein said resilient means comprises a compression spring acting on each of said detents with equal and opposite forces.

3. A support for the core of a yarn package, comprising a spindle for receiving the core thereon, said spindle having a plurality of transverse bores therethrough, means for releasably holding the core on the spindle in axial alignment therewith and including hollow cylindrical retainers snugly received, one in each of said bores, each of said retainers having opposite open ends and inwardly extending annular flanges at said ends, a pair of opposed detents Within said retainer, an outwardly extending circumferential rim on each of said detents releasably engaging an inner face of an adjacent one of said flanges to limit outward movement of the detents, and a compression spring between said detents and acting on said detents and urging the detents outwardly of the ends of said retainer with equal and opposite forces to yieldably urge the detents into holding engagement with the inner surface of the core and accurately align the core with the spindle.

4. The support set forth in claim 3 in which the axes of said bores are transverse to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,620,140 12/1952 Naegeli 24246.6 2,835,517 5/1958 Beerli 242-46.2X 2,954,249 9/1960 Colombu et a1. 24246.2X

FOREIGN PATENTS 493,734 10/ 1938 Great Britain. 525,617 5/1955 Italy.

STANLEY N. GILREATH, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

